Metropolis/ComicConnect has reported that they sold Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0 in a private sale for $15 million, setting a new record for a comic book sale. This private sale was negotiated on behalf of the owner by Metropolis Collectibles/ComicConnect of New York. Both the seller and buyer have chosen to remain anonymous.

This is the second time in less than two months that a comic sale set a new record for most valuable book. In November 2025, Heritage sold Superman #1 CGC 9.0 for $9.1 million in a comics and comic art auction. This sale is also the first time that a comic book has topped the most expensive baseball card ever, surpassing the $12.6 million paid for Mickey Mantle’s 1952 rookie card.

This copy of Action Comics #1 also has a famous history. “In addition to being graded at 9.0 out of 10 by CGC, this copy has the distinction of once being owned by actor Nicolas Cage, stolen from him and recovered 11 years later,” Metropolis/Comic Connect President Vincent Zurzolo said.

Metropolis/ComicConnect sold this copy of Action Comics #1 to Cage in 1996 for a then-record of $150,000. This same copy of Action Comics #1 had earlier become the most expensive comic ever sold in 1992, when Sotheby’s sold it at auction for $82,000.

The comic was then stolen from Cage’s home in January 2000 during a party. Eleven years later, it turned up in a storage unit in California and was verified as Cage’s copy by Metropolis/ComicConnect CEO Stephen Fishler. It was returned to Cage, and then six months later he sold it through a ComicConnect auction to an anonymous buyer for $2.1 million.

“Here is the irony,” Fishler said. “During that 11-year period, it skyrocketed in value. The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it!”

The sale has made headlines from CBS News to the BBC and multiple other outlets. Zurzolo shared the backstory on the comic in an interview with Keston’s Old School Comic Books on YouTube.

Since its founding, Metropolis/ComicConnect has set multiple new sales records for Superman’s debut, including the first $1 million sale of a comic back in 2010. They set a new record in 2021 with a brokered sale of an 8.5 copy for $3.25 million, topped a few years later by another private sale of a 6.0 copy for $3.55 million.

“Metropolis handles millions of dollars in private sales every year,” Zurzolo said. “We’ve enjoyed over 25 years of helping dedicated collectors and investors own their dream books, but it’s even more gratifying to know this copy of Action Comics #1 has found a good home.”

ComicConnect’s upcoming Event Auction 65 has already begun previewing a selection of Golden Age comics that are making their debut on the auction market. They will accept consignments for Event Auction 65 through February 9, offering interest free cash advances. Original art consignors can reach out to Micah Spivak at micahs@comicconnect.com; sellers can also contact Peter Barbella at peterb@comicconnect.com, or call them at (212) 260-4147 and toll free at (888) 779-7377.